百花齐放，百家争鸣，长期共存，互相监督，这几个口号是怎样提出来的呢？它是根据中国的具体情况提出来的，是在承认社会主义社会仍然存在着各种矛盾的基础上提出来的，是在国家需要迅速发展经济和文化的迫切要求上提出来的。百花齐放、百家争鸣的方针，是促进艺术发展和科学进步的方针，是促进我国的社会主义文化繁荣的方… - Mao Zedong

“Let a hundred flowers blossom, let a hundred schools of thought contend” and “long-term coexistence and mutual supervision” — how did these slogans come to be put forward? They were put forward in the light of China’s specific conditions, in recognition of the continued existence of various kinds of contradictions in socialist society and in response to the country’s urgent need to speed up its economic and cultural development. Letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy for promoting progress in the arts and sciences and a flourishing socialist culture in our land. Different forms and styles in art should develop freely and different schools in science should contend freely. We think that it is harmful to the growth of art and science if administrative measures are used to impose one particular style of art or school of thought and to ban another. Questions of right and wrong in the arts and sciences should be settled through free discussion in artistic and scientific circles and through practical work in these fields. They should not be settled in an over-simple manner. A period of trial is often needed to determine whether something is right or wrong. Throughout history, at the outset new and correct things often failed to win recognition from the majority of people and had to develop by twists and turns through struggle. Often, correct and good things were first regarded not as fragrant flowers but as poisonous weeds.

Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party.

一切反动派的企图是想用屠杀的办法消灭革命，他们以为杀人越多革命就会越少，但是和这种反动的主观愿望相反，事实是反动派杀人越多，革命的力量就越大，反动派就越要灭亡，这是一条不可抗拒的法则，外国的希特勒，墨索里尼和日本法西斯，中国的满清政府和北洋军阀，都证明了这一点。中国革命的人民，虽然被屠杀了几十万、几百万，但是却有更多的几十万、几百万起来继续革命，谁想屈服他们那是不行的。